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Thursday, February 21, 2013

The Residents of Four States Opt For Civil Defense

By: Laura Reyes CNNMéxico

Almost two months after the creation of the first
civil defense group in Guerrero, there have been at least four more states in
Mexico where residents of some communities are deciding to take public safety against
organized crime into their own hands.

The common factor of the armed community police in
the states of Guerrero, Oaxaca, Morelos, and Michoacán is the loss of
confidence in the security authorities in those locations.

On January 5th of this year, residents of
the municipality of Ayutla, located in the Costa Chica region of Guerrero,
decided to cover their faces, take their weapons and place roadblocks—checkpoints—
on the federal road that connects the resort of Acapulco with Pinotepa
Nacional, bordering Oaxaca, in order to determine the whereabouts of a comisario
(sheriff?) who had been kidnapped, but was released hours later.

That act caused only a day later, residents of Tecoanapa,
neighboring municipality of Ayutla, to join the armed civilian monitoring
group, security strategy that over the next few days had extended to 6 more
municipalities of the region that composed of 15 municipalities.

The self-defense civilian movement, calling itself “Unión de Pueblos y Organizaciones del Estado
de Guerrero” (Union of People and Organizations of the State of Guerrero),
arrested and detained in casas de
justicia (justice houses) 54 people for committing alleged kidnapping,
extortion, robbery, and acts related to organized crime in Ayutla and
Teconoapa.

On February 8, the civil group handed over 11 people
who were held in detention.Yesterday
(Tuesday) 20 people were made available to the authorities, and another 23 were
released from the casas de justicia in
Ayutla.

Crisóforo García Rodríguez, member of the Unión de Pueblos y Organizaciones del Estado
de Guerrero told CNNMéxico that they would give their support to any new
self-defense movements arising in the entity.

Tixtla, newintegrated township

Since
January 22, residents of some communities in the municipality of Tixtla,
includes 16 villages and is located in the central region of Guerrero, have
also joined the self-defense group and placed checkpoints on the main road.

Armed with masks, villagers of El Potrero,
Zacazonapa, Tecozintla, El Troncón, Acatempa, and El Durazco monitor the road
connecting the towns of Tixtla and Mochitlán, as part of the fight against
organized crime.

In a statement issued last week, the mayor of
Tixtla, Gustavo Alcaraz Abarca, was confident that the people would remove the
surveillance on the road.

“I
will continue helping citizen groups of the community police, but federal and
state police conduct permanent patrol routes that the state government gave us” - Gustavo
Alcaraz Abarca

However within a week,
the self-defense movement grew from just 2 to 6 communities in monitoring.

Statesandself-defense groups

On
February 10, in Morelos, residents of communities of Tetelcingo and
Tenextepango, located on the east side of the state, set up surveillance sites
for self-protection and inhibiting the crime rate.

A
day later, in the municipality of Santos Reyes Nopala, in Oaxaca bordering the
state of Guerrero, about 500 people also decided to monitor their villages on
their own because of the alleged abuse from the army and state police.

Proposal for aregulation

On
February 17, The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC)
reiterated its concern in a statement about these self-defense groups in
Mexico, which warned that there is a “fine line” between these groups and
paramilitary groups.

From
the statement:

“This independent body expresses its concern
about the existence of armed groups with different interests to self
protection, which violate the stability of institutions, because there is a
fine line between these groups and paramilitary groups”

Also, it requires
the 3 levels of government to “comply” with the responsibility to ensure the
physical integrity and property of the population.

In Congress, the
senator of the Democratic Revolution Party (PRD) introduced a bill that
proposes to allow indigenous peoples and communities to form their own security
forces and justice.

The proposal of
Sofio Ramirez, from the state of Guerrero, argues that communities have a
constitutional right to organize in order to ensure the safety in places where
they live.However, according to the
legislator, the Constitution needs to be amended to detail how they can do it
and coordinate with municipal, state, and federal authorities.

The document turned
over on Tuesday to commissions on Constitutional Issues and Public Safety of
the Senate plan on reforming Articles 21 and 115 of the Constitution to
establish that public safety is not only in charge of the 3 levels of
government, but to the people and indigenous communities, and that these tasks
should receive state resources.

Ramirez said that
the proposal has been preceded by the figure of the police community, established
and regulated by Law 107 of Guerrero since the mid 1990’s.

Currently,
according to the legislator, such systems operate in 107 communities in 13
municipalities of Guerrero.

“At this moment of governmental crisis, exponential
increase in insecurity and violence in Mexico, such as community policing
institutions are viewed with great reserve by the government” said the PRD

“Paradoxically, these actions help indigenous communities
to build government and provide the opportunity to generate a government from
below with greater social cohesion, and regaining the essence of the ordinary”

Both the Interior
Ministry (SEGOB), responsible for domestic policy, as well as the National
Commission on Human Rights (CNDH), independent from the government, have
pointed out that these groups operate outside the laws of Mexico.

The very
coordinator of the senators of the PRD, Miguel Barbosa, expressed the distrust
of police initiatives to raise community organizing.

Michoacán Case

The case of
self-defense groups is not new in the country.Since 2011, residents of the town of Cheran, Michoacán, decided to come
together to defend their forests from loggers, that they ensured were protected
from the drug cartels in the state.

This act led to the
creation of an independent group of defense, recognized by the authorities of Michoacán.

On this defense of
the forests, villagers blocked access to the town and set up nighttime
surveillance to counter illegal logging and even the presence of organized
crime in the area.

Its not about the guns they have.. Its about the balls they have.. this people finally had enough and theyre figthing back.. Hidalgo Costilla and a bunch of farmers took the battle of puebla with pitch forks and stones from the French who had better weapons at the time.. if more people join México will be free from garbage.. VIVA MÉXICO LIBRE!!

The reason for there low budget guns is all the governments fault for making firearms illegal you think with all the kiddnappings extortions murder and rape they would legalize firearms thats what happens when you take firearms away from law abbiding citizens and you put guns in the hands of criminals now the good people of mexico are struggling and fighting to keep whats theres in the first place im sure they would do it with slingshots if they had to thats how frustrated they are so to the man facing and armed group of men with ak 47s with only his single shot rifle thank you for being a proud mexican man like zapata said id rather die on my 2 feet then live on my knees VIVA MEXICO

What else are they supposed to do?Rely on authorities?Who do they turn to?I'm pretty sure they don't want to be doing this but what other option do they have?As long as the right people are getting killed,and we all know who that is.Don't fall for the bullshit words"don't take the law into your own hands"only sheep wait for non existent help.I hope the little girls death is a catalyst to more of this.That baby who they desecrated.

The Govt can not stand it they will have to "crack Down" after all these people probably are not paying the govt. criminals usually DO.Mexico does need a peoples revolt, demanding Smaller,more effective govt. sounds familiar dosen't it??

That's the way to go!This is much, much more preferable to being picked off one by one by the drug cartels!It's no use playing dead when you will actually end up dead!Very, very dead!However, the government must support them with money, weapons and training.Many other countries, when dealing with terrorists had done this successfully.The crux of the matter is that they have a far better interest in protecting themselves than risk letting others do it!!!!!Way to go!!!

To the guy that said 'another cartel in the making'... you're an idiot.

I don't see any other way for these people to protect themselves from these savages and murders. Their own police depts and government are basically cartel animals as well. Sure.. they don't run in the streets with guns but they are no better. They make millions off the lives of their own people who are slaughtered and terrorized every day.

This is great stuff revolution is the only way! as the goverment body it self has a price that the drug lords can pay and manipulate. To the guy talking about the hunting rifles being single shooters! i dare you to go stand in front of those single shooters. The fact is a well motivated man with a stick is a powerful dangerous weapon. these guys are the real deal not a cartel in the making! i urge you that have a patriotic soul to try and support these people by any means. try and find out there location and person of contact in those cities. things you can send them can be MRE's (meals ready to eat),first aid kits,military surplus combat boots,money, and survival gear. oooooo and in advance fuck you internet trolls

There is documentary on YouTube in which Mormons in Chihuahua decide to stand up to the cds after one of their members is kidknaped. They decide to break Mexican law by arming themsrlves and demanded the return of the kidknaped member. After an attempt by the Mexican military to confiscate their guns, and return of the kidknaped victim by the cartel, the authorities allowed them to keep their guns. Maybe if the communities in Mexico follow the example of the communities in Guerrero, the violence can begin to reduce and bring stability to the country.

Ther is a reason why Mexico don't allow higher caliber fire arms to be leagal to own because of the same thing this poor ppl are doing. Tired of the lying goverment ppl going agains the government and all the scum that makes Mexico bad El pueblo junto jamas sera vensido all Mexicans know this saying all the ppl united will never be divided God bless all my ppl in Mexico its time to get red of this rats

You said: "What else are they supposed to do? Rely on authorities? Who do they turn to? I'm pretty sure they don't want to be doing this but what other option do they have? As long as the right people are getting killed,and we all know who that is. Don't fall for the bullshit words, "don't take the law into your own hands" only sheep wait for non existent help. I hope the little girls death is a catalyst to more of this. That baby who they desecrated."

Amen. Thank you Borderland Beat for giving a voice to the innocent and displaced ones. They represent a powerful and inconvenient truth. Too many voices out their just want to rationalize, sweep things under the carpet, throw up their hands, and say, "Oh well!" Those who believe the Bible is La Palabra de Dios, surely know there's, "A time to every purpose under heaven...(including) a time to kill". Of course their is a time for peace, but at ANY PRICE? Not when it means letting evil prosper at the expense of your family and loved ones!

The classic virtues: 1-Prudent Wisdom, 2-Fair Justice, 3-Temperant Restraint,and 4-Courageous Fortitude and their opposite vices in the same order: 1-Folly(unWise), 2-Venal(Corruption), 3-Lust(Selfishness), and Cowardice. Fear out of control is one extreme of a coward, but the other extreme that is just as bad is to be reckless. Their is a fate worse than death, and BOTH OF THESE TWO EXTREMES will take you there. It's not reckless for ordinary citizens of ANY country to take up arms and if necessary, use them as an effective tool of defense. In other words, I love my family very much and if you try to hurt them I will fight WHOEVER, to the death if necessary to defend their safety.

I would however be remiss to not add that it is very wise to understand where defense leaves off and wreckless-ness begins. Peace.

After civil defense comes revolution. If the government does not protect the people and the people protect themselves then the government will be next to fall. If it cannot protect the people then it has no purpose. There is a chain of events which follows the same sequence every time. Mexico could face it's second revolution and third liberation.atte: Garrobo

Muskets n 6 shots Hmmmm.......Theyll upgrade to better weapons once that crystal secretly poisons them as well. Keep on Fighting the good fight culeros. Too many legit monday through friday "good guys" invoved in mass manufacturing and global distribution of poison. Victory against that not likely on a human scale. Chingones get replaced everyday a hero wont.

Mexico sucks. I remember when it wasnt that violent now I cant even go to mex. If they dont jack me on the north if I go on a bus or a car south I got a lot of states where im bornable to being robbed. I love michoacan to death but im not going back anytime soon.

The Gringo Farmer/El Gringo Campesino"I love my family very much and if you try to hurt them I will fight WHOEVER, to the death if necessary to defend their safety"Right on brother,imagine us the same position?Is it to much to ask to be able to keep what you work for and not worry your children could be hurt?

Anybody, I mean absolutely ANYONE can use the talents and stewardship that God entrusts to each one of us to give something back and leave a good legacy behind when they graduate from this life and God snatches them home.

However, if at whatever station we've been called to in life (Rich, Working Class, Refugee/Homeless) we squander, fritter away, or selfishly hoard those same talents, it necessarily follows, whether it really bothers our conscience or not, that eventually we are gonna face some kind of court. Maybe not until that next life, but we shouldn't assmue that it won't come sooner than later.

And IF WHENEVER WE ARE CALLED ON THE CARPET to render an account and fess up for what we've been up to, IF, we have our ducks in a row at this point, then NO MATTER WHAT THE OUTCOME IS, whether we merely set the record straight and are dismissed of these false charges, or even if we are martyred in spite of our innocence, our good conscience and God will give us His peace to pass through death into the next life.

NOBODY IS BETTER THAN ANYBODY, just because they have some more money and nicer things, no matter what. If I really am pobre con paz, that is the HIGHER HONOR anyway in the eyes of God, not to be burdend with the vain wealth of this temporary life, and God's opinion IS the only one that really counts anyway. So if I get jealous and covet what others have that SEEMS TO BE SO MUCH BETTER, then no matter what I take away from others by force, nothing is really gonna satisfy me anyway, so that in the end I would die miserable, bitter, and completely alone.

So to those of us who, FOR NOW, are not living in el valle de la sombra de muerte, EVERY MINUTE OF EVERY DAY we still have a chance to get our ducks in a row. It's not a matter of IF but WHEN our turn is gonna come around, and when that day finally arrives, when we face the music too, then we will we be able to look back and remember that when our life was safe and easy, that we weren't so very cruel and unmerciful to our Mexican neighbors when they had to wear these uncomfortable pair of shoes on their feet, because believe me these shoes could easily find their way onto our feet too in the not so distant future.